When “Interview with the Vampire” came out in 1994, I was about seven years old and had no idea what I was watching.
Consequently, the movie was always skipped when on TV and I had no idea who Anne Rice was up until my junior high years.
Reading her work went hand-in-hand with the historical fiction novels my mom introduced me to in the fifth grade.
I’ve always spent more time with my nose in a book than anything else and that lead me to devour novels out of my peers’ reading levels and gave me a greater vocabulary than most expected from a preteen.
In fact, I’d been accused of plagiarism as a student simply because teachers thought I didn’t know what the words I’d used meant.
Luckily, I showed them and scored at a college reading level at the age of 10.
Still, I didn’t get into Anne Rice’s works until the eighth grade after watching the 2002 “Queen of the Damned” film and its subsequent heavy metal soundtrack.
To be fair, the soundtrack got me hooked first followed by the storyline and then hearing that it was based on a book.
Naturally, I headed to the library as soon as possible and checked out as many books as they’d allow me.
You can imagine my surprise when I found out that her Vampire Chronicles books were a
whole series and there were even sideline stories mixed in!
Her works span several decades from 1976 up until 2018 with rumors she had another book slated for release in 2022.
Ever since, I’ve made a point to read any of her books as soon as I could get my hands on them.
I can’t exactly pinpoint what I’ve liked best about her writing, but I also know that it’s helped me form my own style.
And not just what you all get in the newspaper.
Like any artist, I’ve got a backlog of poetry and short stories in various draft forms.
Rice’s writing always seemed to portray the best settings and descriptions – her main characters felt like real people.
Well, vampires, mummies, and witches mostly.
Having been an avid fan of hers even led me to pick up books by her son, Christopher Rice.
He’s got a similar talent with making his characters relatable and realistic while maintaining the point of the story.
I even like how his dark and evil characters are much more modern and mortal instead of supernatural.
Still, I was glad to see his name alongside his mother’s in her latest novels.
Sadly, Christopher was the one to tell Facebook of his mother’s death Sunday, Dec. 11.
Anne Rice died at the age of 80 from complications due to having a stroke.
While I wasn’t a rabid fan like others, it still put a lingering dark cloud on my work for this week’s edition.
It’s definitely depressing and making it hard to get things done Monday afternoon.
But, if I’ve learned anything by following my favorite authors, it is that you have to write even when you don’t want to or have the energy.